Zhang Zhilei will be a huge test! Coach Parker is the toughest fighter in the heavyweight division

Mondo Sports Updated on 2024-02-01

This week, former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker's coach Andy Lee talked about his March 8 clash with "Big **" Zhang Zhilei, which will be staged in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the co-main event of the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Nagano.

Against Zhang Zhilei, Parker is expected to step into another dangerous hunting ground, he may succeed or fail, but in the last dangerous hunting ground, Parker ushered in a new peak in his career, that is, he defeated the "Bronze Bomber" Deontay Wilder without being favored.

In the face of Wild, Parker performed quite well, he strictly implemented the plan formulated by the team, did not give Wild any chance, I wonder if Parker's courage can be replicated in the competition with Zhang Zhilei?

Compared with Parker, Zhang Zhilei also ushered in the peak of his career, he destroyed Joe Joyce in a row last year, and his performance was quite strong, you must know that Joyce is currently the only fighter who knocks out Parker to win, can Zhang Zhilei also knock out Parker to win?

At first, the outside world did not think that Parker and Zhang Zhilei would reach an agreement, because the two were in a very advantageous position after defeating Wilder and Joyce respectively, and then they could hit the world championship, and it seemed that there was no need to have a "gain outweigh the loss" competition, but Parker and Zhang Zhilei deserved to be warriors in their field, and they quickly signed the contract.

Andy Lee told Boxing Social that he met Parker in Dublin, Ireland not long ago, and the two talked a lot, including the win over Wilder and why he chose the dangerous Zhang Zhilei.

Andy Lee said:"Parker and I both wanted to chase and when he came to Dublin, I asked Parker how he felt after the fight against Wilder. I'm happy of course we won, but more of a thought it's the lead, the unknown, the challenge, and when you need to overcome it, you think of more things (with Zhang Zhilei). ”

Andy Lee admitted that the clash with Zhang Zhilei on March 8 was a huge test for Parker, because Zhang Zhilei's strength was there.

Andy Lee said:"Zhang Zhilei is a very difficult fighter to play against, I think he is the toughest fighter in the heavyweight division. Parker is ready, he's shown he can go according to plan to win, we have a good plan for Zhang, maybe not as obvious as people think, but Parker is in good form and staying active will help him a lot in his recovery. ”

One of the reasons Andy Lee became Parker's coach in 2021 was Parker's previous mediocre performance against Derrick Cesola, with a speech that left former coach Kevin Barry working with Andy Lee. Led by Andy Lee, Parker and Chesola were sharp in their rematches, knocking out their opponents multiple times. Currently, under the guidance of Andy Lee, Parker has won the remaining five games except for the loss to Joyce.

According to the information revealed by Andy Lee, they are obviously very cautious about fighting Zhang Zhilei, and at the same time they are very confident, this attitude should attract the attention of Zhang Zhilei's team, after all, the opponents are so hard-working, and they can't have any slack. At present, the outside world is still slightly optimistic about Zhang Zhilei defeating Parker, but the common opponent of the two, Joyce, stood on Parker's side in the ** victory and defeat a few days ago, Zhang Zhilei needs to shut up Joyce, and continue to prove his strength by winning strongly, I wish Zhang Zhilei success!

Related Pages